Announced on October 17, the 2009 selection for the All Iowa Reads program was is The Rope Walk by Carrie Brown. Opening on Alice MacCauley’s tenth birthday, this is a luminous story of one girl’s coming-of-age during a fateful New England summer. Raised by her widower father and doting older brothers, Alice learns about how different the worlds of adults and children can be when she befriends a local artist dying of AIDS and the neighbor’s visiting mixed-race grandson. Beautifully written, this exploration of love, tolerance, racism and death told from a child’s view brings a unique perspective to the world we live in.

Be sure to watch the Davenport Library’s newsletter and News and Events blog throughout the following year for information on programs and book talks exploring The Rope Walk.